Mattia Zaccagni on Monday kept Italy’s Euros title defense alive with an incredible late equalizer in the holder’s thrilling 1-1 draw with Croatia, as Spain completed a perfect group stage and showed Albania the door.
Italy are in the round-of-16 of Euro 2024 after forward Zaccagni struck a superb equalizer with almost the last kick of the game in Leipzig, sparking an explosion of joy among the Italian fans and even a sprint up the line from 65-year-old coach Luciano Spalletti.
The Azzurri are to play Switzerland in the next round thanks to Zaccagni, who came on with nine minutes remaining and curled in his leveler in the eighth minute of stoppage-time following a brilliant burst and pass from defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Photo: Reuters
“Nobody believed any more, but the players did,” Spalletti told Sky Sport, before raging at his critics in the Italian media.
At a furious news conference, Spalletti said “I inject myself with this venom,” which he said was coming “from all sides,” and blasted unnamed people within Italy’s camp for potentially leaking his team’s formation to the media.
Spalletti’s team finish Group B in second place on four points, five behind winners Spain, who beat Albania 1-0 thanks to a neat Ferran Torres finish in the 13th minute in Duesseldorf.
Albania’s Euros adventure is over following a defeat which also means that England, France and the Netherlands are guaranteed a place in the next round at least as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Croatia are all but out due to Zaccagni’s late equalizer just as it looked as if Luka Modric was once again going to be the hero for his nation.
Modric defied his advancing years by firing Croatia into the lead nine minutes after halftime, becoming the oldest goalscorer in Euros history.
At 38 years and 289 days, Modric broke the record set by Austria’s Ivica Vastic in 2008, pouncing on a rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma made an incredible save from Ante Budimir’s point-blank header.
Modric made up for Donnarumma pushing away his penalty just moments before, but his goal was not enough and on two points third-placed Croatia’s hopes are hanging by a thread.
“It’s hard when you lose like this to find the words to describe how you feel,” Modric said.
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